With 19 deepwater ports on the Pacific Coast, that will prove a
tall order, but if successful would seriously impede a huge
portion of American commerce.

Looking at just three of the ports and what they mean to the US
economy: The Port of Los Angeles handles 2,188
vessels annually, or about six-a-day, carrying 7.8 million
containers a year, with a cargo valued at $236.4 billion in 2010.

The Port of Long Beach is the fifth busiest port
in the US and handles 3.65 million containers a year with cargo
worth $56.7 billion and supplies Southern California with
316,000 jobs.

The Port of Oakland handles more than 6,100 containers a day
(2.24 million a year) brought in by 1,928 ships.

The Port of Los Angeles in the busiest port in the US, the Port
of Long Beach is one of the busiest container ports in the world,
and the Port of Oakland is the fifth busiest port in the US. Even
a day of shutdowns will affect tens-of-thousands of workers and
millions of dollars in cargo and revenue.

Longshoremen and warehouse workers in Longview, Washington were
in the news recently when they shutdown
ports in the Pacific Northwest and held security officers
hostage, over contract disputes with EGT. And OWS mentions them
specifically in their call to action.

Occupy Oakland expands this call to the entire West Coast,
and calls for continuing solidarity with the Longshoremen in
Longview Washington in their ongoing struggle against the EGT.
The EGT is an international grain exporter led by Bunge LTD, a
company constituted of 1% bankers whose practices have ruined the
lives of the working class all over the world, from Argentina to
the West Coast of the US. During the November 2nd General Strike,
tens of thousands shutdown the Port Of Oakland as a warning shot
to EGT to stop its attacks on Longview. Since the EGT has
disregarded this message, and continues to attack the
Longshoremen at Longview, we will now shut down ports along the
entire West Coast.

OWS further says that if any action is taken against longshoremen
as a result of the protest "additional actions should be
prepared, and in the event of police response, shutdowns may
extend "to multiple days."

Occupy Los Angeles has also unanimously approved the movement and
hastens to point out the SSA terminals at the Port of Los Angeles
are owned by Goldman Sachs.

The International
Longshoremen's Association was not yet aware of the movement
when we called Monday Nov. 21, but the director of public
relations Jim McNamera said the action would be possible with
a legal picket line, but he would be calling other offices
for more details.